Sounds like an escape from the everyday, right? This is what you will experience when you have a facial at Hope Della Skincare in Bellevue. For busy moms, the relaxation component probably ranks at the top for reasons to get a facial, but it also has great benefits for your skin.

From here on out, I am challenging myself to see myself the way my child sees me, and to be the person that my second thought believes I am. And, it cannot stop with me – I challenge you to do the same.

So I challenge you this summer to set some goals. And to make it more fun, I’m framing them into something I’m calling the 1000 – 100 – 10 challenge!

Lately, I’ve started thinking that there is no such thing as work/life balance. Whoever made up this term was (like the rest of us) striving for it and believed that it was an attainable goal.

When you’re struggling with infertility, babies enter your mind countless times a day. And not just in the jealousy of seeing a new mom pushing a stroller, or the countless pregnancy announcements on Facebook. Your whole future seems blurry and full of what-ifs. The size of your family quietly creeps into daily decisions.

It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to be angry, to feel betrayed by your own body. It’s okay to feel bitter when your friends share miraculous stories about getting pregnant on the first try. It’s okay to sit quietly as one of your friends complains about their pregnancy, and then excuse yourself to go sob silently in the bathroom.

We all know laughter is an amazing thing. It boosts our immune systems, alleviates pain, and reduces stress. So why don’t we do it more often? Why do we take ourselves so darn seriously?

I don’t remember what started the disagreement with my 11-year-old daughter. Maybe it was a late math assignment or a missing permission slip. But I’ll never forget the sorrow-filled way she looked up at me from her bedroom floor, tears streaming down her face, as she asked: “Mom? Why don’t you like me?”

Like a hard slap in the face, it occurs to me that my phone not only distracts me from relishing in my fondest memories, but it also prevents me from making new ones. Ironically, the very device that stores and organizes much of my life simultaneously robs me of enjoying and being fully present in it.

It is the 5 (10 on a good day) minutes of the day where I can stop, think, and not be “on”. Don’t get me wrong. I have a job that I love. But being a teacher, I am “on” all day long. It’s an honor and a blessing, but it’s also exhausting.